Wound care dressings come in a variety of forms and are typically selected based on the nature and severity of the wound to be treated.
The management of wound exudates and prevention of infection present significant challenges. If a wound dressing does not adequately absorb and contain exudates, the moisture may cause skin maceration. Alginate and hydrofiber dressings, for example, absorb exudate and form a gel-like covering over the wound. Foam dressings absorb exudate and some lock fluid within the core of the dressing while others may transform into a gelling foam. Foam dressings may take on a broad range of physical characteristics based on the synthetic route selected to produce the foam which, in turn, can affect its ability to retain and release desired therapeutic agents, such as anti-bacterial and/or anti-fungal agents.
Silver is a known anti-microbial agent and is also provided in a wide variety of forms that can differ vastly with respect to their anti-microbial (e.g., anti-bacterial and/or anti-fungal) efficacy and cytotoxicity. There is ongoing debate as to the safety of silver when it is systemically absorbed through the wound. Moreover, silver has a tendency to precipitate into a salt and cause undesired discoloration. There has been ongoing work in providing silver in a form that is stable, retains its anti-microbial efficacy for an extended period of time and is non-cytotoxic to permit cell growth required for healing.
What is therefore desired is an improved wound dressing that can adequately absorb wound exudates and maintain its anti-microbial efficacy at the wound site for a desired period of time, while at the same time remaining non-cytotoxic so as to promote new cell growth and healing.